Bard Subclass: College of the Troubadour

Poet-knights who shape hearts, courts, and kingdoms through verse.

The College of the Troubadour descends from the poet-knights of Southern France, whose compositions of chivalry, romance, and noble sacrifice captivated courts and shaped the ideals of courtly love. Troubadours do not merely perform—they inspire, persuade, embolden, and bind destinies through the emotional force of their words.

Where other bards recount legends, a Troubadour becomes the source of them.

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College of the Troubadour Features

Bard Level	Feature
3rd	Art of Courtly Verse, Troubadour’s Composition
6th	Armored in Grace, Knight-Errant’s Charge
10th	Double Composition, Masterpiece
14th	Heartbinding Epic

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Art of Courtly Verse (3rd Level)

You master the refined traditions of courtly poetry, rhetoric, and knightly performance.

You gain proficiency in Persuasion and Performance. If you already have proficiency in either skill, you instead gain expertise in that skill.

You also gain proficiency with one martial weapon of your choice (commonly the rapier, longsword, or lance).

Finally, when you make a Charisma check involving nobles, knights, or formal courts, you may add your Bardic Inspiration die to the check without expending it. You can use this benefit a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus per long rest.

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Troubadour’s Composition (3rd Level)

You can weave personal emotion into a performance or written piece, imbuing it with subtle magic.

As part of a 1-minute recitation, performance, or written composition, choose a creature who can hear, read, or otherwise understand you. The creature gains one of the following benefits. You can use this feature a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus per long rest.

Inspired Heart.
For 1 hour, you have advantage on Charisma checks made against the target.

Stirring Verse.
The target gains temporary hit points equal to your Bard level + your Charisma modifier.

Martial Inspiration.
The target can immediately choose one of the following options (no action required):
• Make one weapon attack.
• Move up to half its speed without provoking opportunity attacks.
• Gain advantage on its next attack roll made within 1 minute.

Only one of these effects applies, unless otherwise specified by later features.

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Armored in Grace (6th Level)

You learn the discipline of the poet-knights.

You gain proficiency with medium armor and shields.
You can perform the somatic components of your bard spells even while wearing medium armor or wielding a shield.

You also add your Charisma modifier to saving throws you make against the charmed and frightened conditions.

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Knight-Errant’s Charge (6th Level)

Your verse emboldens allies in the heat of battle.

When you or a creature affected by one of your compositions hits a target with a weapon attack, you may use your reaction to cause the attack to deal extra radiant damage equal to one roll of your Bardic Inspiration die.

You can use this feature a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus per long rest.

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Double Composition (10th Level)

When you use Troubadour’s Composition, you may target two creatures instead of one. Each target receives the same effect you choose.

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Masterpiece (10th Level)

You can channel the full force of your artistry into a single overwhelming work.

Once per long rest, when you use Troubadour’s Composition, both targets gain all three of its effects: Inspired Heart, Stirring Verse, and Martial Inspiration.

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Heartbinding Epic (14th Level)

You can perform a decisive, destiny-shaping work of poetry or song.

As an action, you deliver a brief but potent composition that affects a number of creatures of your choice within 60 feet, up to a number equal to your Charisma modifier (minimum of two). Affected creatures must be able to hear or understand you.

Each chosen creature gains the following benefits for 10 minutes:

• +2 bonus to attack rolls
• +2 bonus to all saving throws
• Resistance to psychic damage
• Advantage on saving throws against being charmed or frightened
• Temporary hit points equal to your Bard level

Once you use this feature, you cannot use it again until you finish a long rest.

Prestige class Troubadour

“The knight on the eternal quest, the forbidden love worth dying for, and journeys through strange, magical lands—these are the tales of the troubadour.”

Troubadours are poets, diplomats, adventurers, and spell-weavers who roam the courts of Southern France, using the refined language of Occitan to immortalize romance, valor, and courtly ideals. Their songs echo through the halls of France, inspire knights in England and Scotland, and shape the legends of the Iberian Kingdoms of Castile, Aragon, and Portugal.

While bards most naturally take up the mantle, troubadours may arise from noble knights, paladins, sorcerers, wandering aristocrats, or any who embrace the ideals of chivalry, artistry, and perilous passion.

To join their ranks, one must seek out a court in Provence, Toulouse, or Aquitaine, prove their mastery of courtly etiquette and Occitan poetry, and demonstrate a heart worthy of the troubadour’s legacy.

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Requirements

To qualify to become a Troubadour, a character must meet all the following criteria:

Alignment: Any non-evil
Feats: Clarity
Skills:

• Knowledge (nobility and royalty) 9 ranks
• Perform (oratory) 4 ranks
• Perform (stringed instrument) 4 ranks
• Ride 3 ranks
• Speak Language (Occitan)
• Read/Write (Occitan)

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Hit Die: d8

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Class Skills

Bluff (Cha), Concentration (Con), Decipher Script (Int), Diplomacy (Cha), Gather Information (Cha), Knowledge (any) (Int), Listen (Wis), Perform (Cha), Profession (Int), Read/Write, Ride (Dex), Search (Int), Sense Motive (Wis), Speak Language, Spellcraft (Int), Use Magic Device (Cha).

Skill Points per Level: 4 + Int modifier

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Class Progression

Level	BAB	Fort	Ref	Will	Special	Bard Spells per Day
1st	+0	+0	+2	+2	Troubadour Tales, Armored Casting	+1 level
2nd	+1	+0	+3	+3	Bonus Feat	+1 level
3rd	+2	+1	+3	+3	Composition	+1 level
4th	+3	+1	+4	+4	Bonus Feat	+1 level
5th	+3	+1	+4	+4	Double Composition	+1 level
6th	+4	+2	+5	+5	Bonus Feat	+1 level
7th	+5	+2	+5	+5	Master Composition	+1 level
8th	+6	+2	+6	+6	Bonus Feat	+1 level

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Class Features

Weapon and Armor Proficiency

Troubadours are proficient with all simple weapons, plus the lance, light crossbow, longsword, shortsword, and shortbow. They are proficient with light and medium armor and shields.

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Bard Spells per Day

The troubadour casts spells like a bard of the same level.
If the character already has bard levels, each level in troubadour advances bard casting as if gaining a bard level.

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Troubadour Tales (Ex)

The troubadour possesses deep knowledge of the legendary heroes, courtly customs, and political histories of:

• France
• England and Scotland
• the Iberian Kingdoms (Castile, Aragon, and Portugal)

When making bardic lore / bardic knowledge checks relating to these regions, their cultures, histories, nobility, or famous heroes, the troubadour adds:

Troubadour level + Charisma modifier to the roll.

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Armored Casting (Ex)

Reduces arcane spell failure chance from armor by 20% (shield ASF unchanged).

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Composition (Su) (3rd level)

Once per week, the troubadour may create a written or performed composition in Occitan.

• Cost: 100 XP
• Target: 1 recipient who reads/hears and understands it

Choose one effect:

1. Social Influence

For 2 days per Troubadour level, the troubadour gains +3 to all Charisma checks involving that recipient.

2. Inspired Performance

For 1 day per Troubadour level, the recipient is affected as though hearing one of the troubadour’s Bardic Music inspire abilities.

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Bonus Feats (2nd, 4th, 6th, 8th)

Choose one (must meet prerequisites):

• Armor Focus (any)
• Lionhearted
• Mounted Combat
• Ride-By Attack
• Spirited Charge
• Skill Focus (any class skill)

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Double Composition (Su) (5th level)

The troubadour may create two compositions per week.

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Master Composition (Su) (7th level)

Once per month, the troubadour may craft a masterwork composition.

• Cost: 500 XP
• Targets: Up to two creatures per Troubadour level
• Effects identical to Composition, but applied to each target.

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Paladin Troubadours

A paladin adds their troubadour level to their paladin level to determine the abilities of their special mount.
They may freely return to advancing as a paladin afterward.

Troubadour

Originally on the Terra Viejo Website

The knight on the eternal quest, love that can only realized at great danger, journeys through strange magical lands. These are the tales of the troubadour, and they have inspired generations of nobles, townsman and peasants alike to give up their mundane lives and seek adventure for themselves. Who would know more of adventure and romance then the troubadours who write of them?

William the IX, Duke of Aquitaine and grandfather of the famous Eleanor, was the first widely known troubadour. In the centuries since his poems where first sung troubadours have introduced the ideals of chivalry and courtly love to courts across Europa. A troubadour seeks to use her verse to record and encourage heroic acts and romantic passions. She is an advocate of courtly love and an active participant in courtly life, a master of the magic that verse and song can produce and very capable of engaging in her own chivalrous and noteworthy adventures. Many troubadour tales are autobiographical in nature.

While bards, with their gift of clarity, are the most likely troubadours, many a knight and aristocrat as well as paladins, and even sorcerers,
rogues, rangers and wizards, have taken up the life of the troubadour. Whoever they are however, they must travel to one of the courts of the great magnates of Southern Gallia, and show their devotion to the ideals that troubadours espouse, and proficiency in the skills being a troubadour requires. If they are lucky, and find a willing teacher, they soon begin telling their own tales of knights with lions, ladies in lakes who keep ancient magical swords, and queens who love their champion not their king; and know of what they speak.

Requirements

To qualify to become a Troubadour, a character must fulfill all the following criteria:
Alignment: Any Non-evil
Feats: Clarity
Skills: Knowledge (nobility and royalty) 9 ranks, Perform (oratory) 4 ranks, Perform (stringed instrument) 4 ranks, Ride 3 ranks, Speak
Language (Romansh), Read/Write (Romansh)

Hit Die: d8
Class Skills: The Troubadour’s class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are are Bluff (Charisma), Concentration (Constitution), Decipher Script (Intelligence), Diplomacy (Charisma), Gather Information (Charisma), Knowledge (any, taken separately) (Intelligence), Listen (Wisdom), Perform (Charisma), Profession (Intelligence), Read/Write, Ride (Dexterity), Search (Intelligence), Sense Motive (Wisdom), Speak Language, Spellcraft (Intelligence), and Use Magic Device (Charisma)

Skill Points at Each Additional Level: 4+Intelligence Modifier

Level	Base Attack Bonus	Fort Save	Ref Save	Will Save	Special	Bard Spells per Day
1st	+0	+0	+2	+2	Troubadour Tales, Armored Casting	+1 level
2nd	+1	+0	+3	+3	Bonus Feat	+1 level
3rd	+2	+1	+3	+3	Composition	+1 level
4th	+3	+1	+4	+4	Bonus Feat	+1 level
5th	+3	+1	+4	+4	Double Composition	+1 level
6th	+4	+2	+5	+5	Bonus Feat	+1 level
7th	+5	+2	+5	+5	Master Composition	+1 level
8th	+6	+2	+6	+6	Bonus Feat	+1 level

Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Troubadours are proficient with all simple weapons, plus the lance, light crossbow, long sword, short sword, and short bow. They are also proficient with light and medium armor and shields.

Bard Spells per Day: The Troubadour cast spells like a Bard of the same level. If already a Bard, then each time the Troubadour gains a level, their casting level and spells per day increase as if their Bard level increased by one.

Troubadour Tales: The Troubadour may know obscure things about the knights of the Round Table, Charlemagne’s paladins, and other heroes, as well as the less heroic aspects of the court life, culture and history of Western Europa. The Troubadour can make Bardic lore checks involving Britannia, Gallia, or Iberia, including history, heroes, and things related to nobility and royalty. The Troubadour adds his Charisma modifier and Troubadour level to the other modifiers for the check.

Armored Casting: The Troubadour’s percentage chance of arcane spell failure when casting spells with somatic components while wearing armor is reduced 20%. The standard penalty for using a shield still applies.

Composition (Su): At 3rd level, once per week, the Troubadour can write an inspiring composition, normally a poem. The Troubadour must put some of herself in the composition, loosing 100 XP. The composition affects one recipient chosen by the Troubadour, who must hear or read the composition, and know the language it is recited or written in. Afterwards, for two days per Troubadour level, the Troubadour receives a +3 to all Charisma checks involving the recipient. Alternately, the recipient can be inspired as if they where hearing the Troubadour Perform Bardic music. This also lasts for one day per Troubadour level and can provide the same benefits of any inspire the Troubadour can Perform with Bardic music.

Bonus Feat: At 2nd, 4th, 6th, and 8th level the Troubadour can take one of the following as a bonus feat provided she meets the prerequisites: Armor Focus (any), Lionhearted, Mounted Combat, Ride by Attack, Spirited Charge, or Skill Focus with any class skill.

Double Composition: Starting at 5th level the Troubadour can create up to two compositions a week.

Master Composition: Starting at 7th level, once per month the Bard can compose a master composition, at the cost of 500 XP. This works the same as composition; however this composition can affect two persons or creatures per Troubadour level.

Paladin Troubadours: paladin Troubadours add their Troubadour level to their paladin level to determine the properties of their special mount. A paladin can take levels in Troubadour and then resume taking levels in paladin